To kill an error is as good a service as, and sometimes even better than, the establishing of a new truth or fact (Charles Darwin)

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Hizbullah and the missing revolution

And you thought Sunday’s riots were scary. Hundreds of thousands of professional weepers gathered on Thursday to be manipulated by the man who thinks of himself as God’s deputy. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the "oppressed" and official defender of Lebanon, gave himself the right to spill blood in the name of defending the prophet, but still found the act of burning a building "uncivilized".

"Defending the prophet should continue all over the world. Let Condoleezza Rice and Bush and all the tyrants shut up. We are an Islamic nation that cannot tolerate, be silent or be lax when they insult our prophet and sanctities."

"We will uphold the messenger of God not only by our voices but also by our blood," he told the crowds, estimated by organizers at about 700,000. Police had no final estimates but said the figure was likely to be even higher.

Nasrallah told Bush and Rice to “shut up” for daring to accuse Syria and Iran of inciting riots over the Mohammad cartoons, but gave himself the freedom to utter another shameless defense of the regime that killed some of Lebanon's best leaders and thinkers. I won't bother pasting what he said regarding "dragging" the country into a war with Syria.

I will say this though. The sight of hundreds of thousands of men and women rallying around this man and his party is disheartening. It tells me that many people in my home country prefer the darkness of one ideologue over the light of luminaries. Luminaries like Samir Kassir whom we lost forever. National Leaders like Rafik Hariri, Bassel Fleihan, Gebran Tueni-- who with all their faults and biases, we lost before they were allowed to act in the freedom they sought.

It is very difficult for me to watch hundreds of thousands of “Lebanese” worship Hizbullah as a national/religious entity. They are turning the Shia community into a time bomb. Nasrallah can act patriotic all he wants, but he is laying the ground for the disintegration of Lebanon into sectarian cantons. That silly agreement with Aoun will be relegated to oblivion once the masses Nasrallah is breeding find themselves forced to choose the Islamic nation over a pluralistic Lebanon.

Forgive my bleak view on the eve of February 14. But, as I have said before, Lebanon is being told to choose Hizbullah’s way, or the Beirut Damascus highway. Both lead to a country enslaved by failed causes and oppressive dictatorships. There is no future for Lebanon with Hizbullah in the game. They are simply too powerful for the country to handle. Unfortunately, the men who can make a difference are either dead or weakened by the same sectarian formula that, ironically, guarantees Lebanon’s unity.

Maybe one day all Lebanese will realize that our salvation lies not in Hizbullah, Aoun, Berri, Jumblatt, Saad Hariri or any of the "March 14" figures. It lies in the men and women of the revolution that never took place in Lebanon.

For those interested in some background to the origin of the cartoons and their editor Flemming Rose and his connection to the neocon Daniel Pipes see "Rotten in Denmark: Flemming Rose and the clash of civilizations" by Justin Raimondo at http://prisonplanet.com/articles/february2006/090206rotten.htm

and Flemming Rose's the Threat from Islamism at http://engforum.pravda.ru/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=158638

These are not innocent cartoons published in the name of "free speech" but part of the neocon " clash of civilizations".

Kais: May I suggest that the case against allowing HA into the cabinet resta on even more elemental objective criteria than pire raw power. Some elements in nature just do not mix. They have some intrinsic properties that act as to separate. This propert is also seen whenever there is an attempt at creatinga whole out of incongrous parts. It just cannot be accomplished. This oxymoronic principal should have preclude HA from being invited to join the cabinet or from being courted during their boycott and definitely should have acted against bringing HA back in by even giving them a veto power. A theocratec organisation cannot be expected to be a constructive partner in the establishment of an experiment of a fledgling democracy.

This does not imply that the March 14 forces are capable of creating this new society. But the sooner they accept the reality that the current make of of the cabinet is dysfunctional the better of we would be. Then at least we might have the chance to prevent retrogression and replace it with some minor evolutionary forward movements or at least a run on the spot scenario.

I was one of the many that were swept away by the emotion of the moment last March 14, 2005. Soon thereafter, it became clear though, that the hope was misplaced and the hoped for paradigm shift was wishful thinking. Tradirional leaders, same old bankrupt ideas and institutions do not a paradigm shift make. The results of the elections made it very clear that what was occuring in the country was a traditional power struggle between forces that have differing visions but not a revolutionary one. Lasting meaningful change must be homegrown and grassroots. I am convinced that such is not the case in Lebanon. The large majority of the public is either not willing to endorse or has no interest in wholesale meaningful change. To many this is a bitter pill to swallow but we must remember that it is far better to be disappointed than to be deluded.WE have to settle for a mind numbing slow evolutionary change until the proverbial catalyst needed for a paradigm shift occurs. The message of the Lebanese public seems to suggest that they do not regard the current anomaly to warrant a paradigm shift. Let us not forget that in the final analysis everything is being done in the name of the public and its welfare. They now what is best for them.

I join the chorus of those agreeing on the last 3 sentences. It seems the spirit is spreading, at least in the blogosphere. Yesterday LP had a similar conclusion. The next step will be to do something about it. Thanks Kais.

If the Hizbollah is so sectarian, then why are they working with the Catholic Michael Aoun? The Hizbollah accepts that Lebanon will always be a diverse and multicultural nation. Just because the Hizbollah has a strong friendship with Iran should not cast it in an ugly light.

"If the Hizbollah is so sectarian, then why are they working with the Catholic Michael Aoun? The Hizbollah accepts that Lebanon will always be a diverse and multicultural nation. Just because the Hizbollah has a strong friendship with Iran should not cast it in an ugly light."

I just can't undersyand how we forget our "bright" history. Don't the Deruz worship Jumblat. Don't they change their opinion the time they hear his "updated" 180 degrees thoughts. What about the Lebanese Forces, Future Movement, Tayar, Amal, and others. Aren't they sectearian as well????

We balme every thing on Syria. Fine, Syria is bad and sucked our economy for 30 years. But can any one please tell me who commited all those crimes during the civil war? Didn't we kill each other? Didn't we destroy other people's homes just because they are from a different religioin. Didn't we helped Isreal in killing Lebanses in the South and Beirut? Or you people forgot about what Israeal did? Let me guess, Israeal didn't kill people form your sect. So that is ok. All the masacres in the south are forgotten. And if Isreal did it again, who is going to stand and face them? You? Me? The Lebanese Army? Nadim Jemayel? Yay!!!Walid Eido?

Wake up people. We Are No Angels. We are dummies. We let everybod ride us when we think we have a benefit in doing so.

So long as those politicans are writing out own history, so long we will have the same sitiuation.

Straight shooter said that Hezbollah's power is undeniable. Power from any source becomes undeniable because that source chose to wield it unconscionably, radically,irresponsibly and unscrupulously. This does not make that power admirable. I will only look up to power when that power is tempered with kindness, fairness, and selflessness.

About Me

After dabbling in traditional journalism, the journey from Beirut to the beltway left me free and anonymous in the blogosphere, where I transcend geography and write about Lebanon from a towering spot inside the capital beltway.